MNV Volume 75......the Christmas edition

[Drywhitethanks]

It's time to get out your sparkle. Over here for festive fashion cheer, friendship and anything frivolous.

Sat here in tears as i woke up in extra excruciating levels of pain this morning, my pains never less than a 7 anyway but today is a straight up 10 right from opening my eyes Waiting for my Dsis and BIL to get here to carry onw ith the painting and really hoping Dsis will help me with some other things as i am just not able today. I'm sure she will though if i explain.

Very impressive amber you'll definitely have to let us know when it's on like lib says so we can tune in and see you in action

Coat looks fab blingy hope it's a good fit

blair hope you get what you've ordered, i didn't know that about Flannels either so you aren't alone!

Ds is visiting tomorrow morning and then Dp gets back around tea time for the final push, can't believe it's just over a week til i am gone from this place! all the waiting and the loneliness with Dp not being here is almost over and i cannot wait!

Morning!

Amber Countdown . Get in!

Linus ooh, love them for you. And yay to dh approval! They look streamlined rather than clumpy, similar to my black tod's ones which I think makes them look more feminine. Think they will work with jeans or dress, particularly as you are in your prime .

lib wow, you are on fire with your purchases. Sounds promising but look forward to final verdict.

Lara I saw Vivetta in Liberty, looked good but will check it out properly. Thanks for tip. Beautiful Chloé buys as always. I read that Claire WK may be moving on so time to stock up!

Blingy lovely classic trench.

Blair Flannels is big in north of England, didn't know it had been bought by sports direct, that's a shame. It's initial aim and ownership were good, to bring interesting and well edited designer brands to markets outside London/SE but these days seems to focus more on the wag and wannabe market rather than pushing boundaries.

We have friends arriving tonight for the weekend for final round of festive celebrations. Dh is determined to find the best galette des rois (epiphany cake) in London. Any tips welcome for this most pressing endeavour! Last year we got a lovely one from patisserie des rêves but they closed. We decided on poilâne bakery but dh woke up in the night troubled that we tried theirs 2 years ago and it was mediocre .

One cross post. . Do you think the pain has been triggered by doing too much sorting out your move? Hope a quiet days calms it down a bit. Feel for you about the waiting and limbo, been there and never want to go back to living apart as it just didn't work for us. Good luck with the move, your dp sounds lovely and am sure will make the transition as smooth as possible for you. Onwards and upwards!

Mara I love your DH's dedication to the pursuit of excellent food! I had to google it as I hadn't heard of it before - it does look too hard to make galette des rois or is it one of those things like Irish soda bread that seem very simple but actually require a 'knack' to produce the perfect one?

One it does sound like an easy day is called for - moving is emotionally so hard and you have been doing a lot physically too. Hope you feel better soon. Thinking of you

gah - doesn't not does preview, preview

Six of the best galette des rows for Mara

Predictive text - ROIS!!!

Wow Amber - so impressive. spent far too much of my mat leave with DD1 glued to Countdown and still never managed to do the conundrum. I'd like to go on Pointless, keep vacillating between taking DH or Db.

Sorry to hear you're in so much pain One, can you get anything to help you with it?

Gorgeous buys Lib & Lara. Vivetta sounds interesting, one to look out for.

In Spain they have a cake like a massive doughnut to celebrate the Kings, with plastic figures baked into it. Doesn't taste great IIRC, The French one looks far nicer. Hope you find a good one Mara.

Thank you Shop, I sent your link to dh and he was on the phone within 1min excited about Dominique Ansel. Will let you know how we get on!

Hope you feel better soon One

Can't wait to see you on tv Amber

Blair Hope your coat turns up soon. I also didn't know they are now part of Sports Direct. I remember them when they were independent stores.

Thanks for restaurant recommendation Shop We ended up at The Ivy Grill. It was very nice, as was the gin in All Bar One afterwards. I've got a few mre outings lined up this month but am going to cut back on the gin. I can feel my waistline spreading even further.

thanks all. I'm dosed up on painkillers and just waiting until i can take another dose plus ive got my TENS machine on the go which does help a little. Later when everyone's gone, I can get a really hot shower which will help with the muscular part of the pain at least

it's all looking good, the greens i chose for the front room are very fresh and clear and make the room look bigger which is a bonus as it really isn't a big room at all. The hallway is just being done magnolia as it will again make it look bigger and i just wanted it to be plain. BIL is just finishing up in the front room and then will move on to the hallway which then only leaves DP and I one room to paint which will really make our week next week a lot easier. Then it's on to freshening up the carpets, cleaning the blinds and windows. After that there's a lot of small jobs that we can probably blast through the bulk of in one day. then it's just the rest of the packing to get done!

Currently in an email exchange with somewhere ive bought a lot of clothes from and im complaining that all the zips keep breaking and its costing me a fortune in repairs and what are they going to do about it apart from make half hearted apologies. I can't afford to keep paying for repair costs truth told, certainly not the amount of them that need doing. Sorry isn't cutting it now because it's over a dozen items! shame on you Lindy Bop shame shame shame

lib have never tried to make, think the frangipane filling would be fine but I'd have to use ready made puff pastry. Like to buy as its all about the ritual of the crown and who gets the porcelaine figurine in their slice. Ds collects the figurines, his prize one is a dinosaur! Didnt know soda bread was difficult to get right, tried it once and was rubbish so feel vindicated!

Stokey yes, think you would like that brand too, think we definitely have some crossover in our tastes!

Oh I love soda bread! With lots of butter,proper Irish butter, not the reduced fat one!

Galette des Rois is very very difficult to make, and every year there is a competition between all the famous bakeries to produce the best one, Its quite an important event in the culinary world ,
mara after living in London for more than a decade,and as your dh is a perfectionist when it comes to food, its safe to say it would be easier for your DH to pop in to Paris and buy one from stohrer or Gerard mulot, I'm picking one from Sebastien guadard which is supposed to be very good. I didnt know dominque ansel opened a bakery in London how cool is that!

blair don't fret,I'm sure it will show up, maybe they are just starting to process orders after the holidays?

one take it easy and rest.

liberty the jacket is gorgeous, I can't open the boots link,

amber no idea what show you will be in? We have sky here may e I can watch it,

I'm all bundled up in loro piana coat and turtleneck ,skinnies and hermes jumping boots,i look as though im about to hit the swiss slopes with an oligarch but its unusually cold this winter,it was minus -2 this morning! And I'm freezing ,

God I'm feeling the pressure now Mara - blame it on the journalist not on me if it all goes wrong will you?
I tried my new Charlotte Tilbury chameleon eye pencil yesterday - looked amazing when first applied and I was told it wouldn't budge all day - but by the evening it had completely disappeared - not overly impressed. And more than a little annoyed as I bought two colours. I wonder if I'm applying it correctly. The lipstick is fab. I didn't have much luck with an eyeliner I bought from her either (that also promised to stay put all day).
One take it easy and be kind to yourself - you have a lot on your plate.

i look as though im about to hit the swiss slopes with an oligarch that's hilarious Lara

Mara soda bread is very tricky, it's all about how you pull the dough together - from about 1min to 2mins 15. Very light handling and almost no kneading.

Me and Em order has arrived...
Dress is great. I feel very grown up in it, perfect for work. It's a very dark navy, probably slightly too dark for me but will be fine with bright lippy and shiny earrings!

Jumper is lovely but a bit 'meh' on me so it's a return.

Black joggers are so flattering. The jersey is a bit thin so will have to see how they wash and wear.

shop try it with some eye primer - urban decay do a good one. I love the colour chameleon pencils.

lara it's a show called Countdown, bit of a British institution.

stokey had to actually play the rounds and pass a minimum score to qualify. Was nerve-wracking! Due to film in March - will let you know when it is broadcast!

Amber I will be recording! DH says we should apply to Pointless, but I think I'd be rubbish under the pressure and also I think I'd find going on tv super embarrassing. Also love the 8 out of 10 cats countdown.

No news on coat but Lara "don't fret" made me laugh and stop fretting!

One that sounds so tough, hope you feel better very soon. It does sound like you need to have the move over and done with. At least the decorating is almost done.

I hadn't heard of Galette des Rois but it looks delicious! That article was really interesting.

Brrr it's chilly here as well. Only 2.5 degrees so I am wearing Uniqlo heattech leggings under my jeans and am wearing my new BC cashmere cardigan and a Uniqlo turtleneck on top. I even dug out my Moncler down coat this morning for the school run.

mara the DC are learing about the galette des rois at school this week and I've found a place that makes them to order so I might have to buy one, even though it's not part of either our traditions.

one I really hope you manage the pain today as it sounds horrible from what you write.

shop I bought one of those CT eye crayons when they first came out (amethyst I think) and it was rubbish. It wouldn't stay on, even with my Nars eye primer.

I really like the By Terry Ombre Blackstars, I have Misty Rock, Velvet Orchid and my favourite Brown Perfection. Trish McAvoy also does a nice eye crayon.

A quick one to say, that Dominique Ansel Bakery looks good. Has anyone tried a cronut??

Ooh I have tried a cinnamon sugar topped cronut from one of my favourite bakeries here and it is yum!

Evening everyone thank goodness it's Friday hope you are all well!

I would love to try a croqnut but I have a yeast allergy so lots nice tasty things I can't eat

I am trying to find some nice silver stacking bracelets but struggling any suggestions?

No , haven't tried cronuts, but I want too, I love donuts ,god they had magnificent donuts in Germany,
the galette des rois made me think of how xmas is different from the ones celebrated in uk and US, it must have been a very stressful and scary time for european kids in the past Xmas characters like krampus which is a half goat half monster with horns who beat up naughty kids .and la befana,a witch with broomstick who flies in on epiphany night to reward good children with sweets ,and pieces of coal for the naughty . my dad remembers how his mother used to leave the broom in the entryway on purpose so if the children wake up during the night to look for the sweets they would scurry back to their bedrooms luckily my parents didnt use any of these torturous disciplinary techniques on me.

I wore my chloe cream tie blouse this evening, so in love with it,the ties are really long,and I wrapped them twice around my neck and just let them hang loose without knotting them , looked great this way ,

Hello all, it's the end of an increasingly stressful week for me with daily hospital visits. My condition hasn't improved so I will be going under the knife next week. Have anxious people all around me as the surgery is not without risk and it's exhausting dealing with that. But on a lighter note....my neurosurgeon says he's never had any patient popping to the hairdressers as I did this afternoon as part of their pre operation planning.

Lib, I only really like cashmere scarves now, ditching the itchy one is a good idea! Pity about the sweater!

Blair, you're lovely! And fingers crossed still.

Linus, its that cold where you are?! I feel like I am channeling you today as I am wearing a Rails shirt (but under a black cashmere sweater).

Amber, omg, omg, I am beyond excited for you!!!

One, , you poor thing. Hope you're feeling better. Moving is so stressful. Also Lindy Bop normally gets a good recommendation on threads I have seen, that's shocking!

God yes lara, when I was little we celebrated Saint Nicolas on December 6th and his helper whipped the naughty children with a bunch of branches and them put them in a jute sack.

Well, according to the story anyway. My parents just threatened us with no gifts if we were naughty.

blingy surgery is always scary but I hope it will help you getter better amd healthy again.

Talking about going to hospital prepared, my DM always kept a brand new nightie and a robe in her wardrobe in case she had to go to hospital.

My parents always slept in the nude and she didn't trust anyone else my DF to buy her a nice nightie in case she got admitted to hospital.

And yes, it is that cold here but next week it will be 25 degrees again. Madness!

I have not worn my Rails shirts for a while but I will start wearing them again as I just love the way they feel and drape.

And I find it funny that you have finally come over to the plaid dark side blingy!

I hope everything goes well with your upcoming surgery blingy and that you make a good recovery

and yes, isn't it bad of lindy! they haven't replied at all to my last email saying how shocking i'm finding their customer service and half hearted apologies, after more than one complaint about this same issue, which has just left me really angry. I wouldn't mind just one or two broken zips, i expect that if things have a lot of heavy wear but these are zips that broke on the first or second wear and some of which i had to literally cut myself out of. I'm really disappointed as i do like the clothes but unless they do something to sort it out, i'll be looking elsewhere from now on